Construction has begun on the £5 million redevelopment of Cathedral Gardens in Belfast, with Belfast City Council setting out plans to transform the area between St Anne’s Cathedral and Ulster University into a new landmark public space.

The revamped gardens will include a large multi-use events area, a memorial dedicated to those who died in the Belfast Blitz, a nature-inspired play area and an interactive digital play zone for children. Advanced lighting technology will allow the space to be illuminated in different colours, while a projection system will cast images onto the walls of the adjacent Ulster University building.

The project will also introduce a range of mature trees, lawns, plants and shrubs to bring additional green space into the city centre. Sustainability is a core element of the design, with rainwater to be captured and reused to irrigate the planting.

Welcoming the start of work, Belfast Lord Mayor Councillor Tracy Kelly said: "The Cathedral Gardens regeneration project is both ambitious and innovative. Our aim to create a world class urban space where families, students, workers and visitors can meet, relax and be entertained all year round, both night and day.

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"We also want the space to become an events and cultural hub, helping reinvigorate this part of the city centre which is undergoing a transformation. We look forward to it hosting numerous small and large-scale events ranging from Culture Night, music concerts and children's festivals, to food markets and much more besides, helping to support and boost the city’s annual cultural programme.

"This area was badly impacted by air raids during World War 2, so Cathedral Gardens will be a fitting home to a new Belfast Blitz Memorial - a space where people can pause, reflect and honour those who lost their lives."

The Cathedral Gardens redevelopment forms part of a broader programme of multi-million-pound investment by Belfast City Council aimed at revitalising the city centre.

Councillor Kelly added: "In the last few years the council has demonstrated its commitment to ensuring our city centre continues to thrive and grow. Belfast Stories, a stunning new public space, visitor attraction and creative hub for the city will open on Royal Avenue in 2030. We recently purchased the historic Assembly Rooms in Cathedral Quarter, and work is now underway to carefully consider options for its future use.

"We also want to increase the number of people living in the city centre as part of long-term strategic plans, so our partnership with GRAHAM to deliver £280m worth of residential-led, mixed use city centre developments will play its part in achieving that.

"This cluster of council-led development, along with the stunning new Ulster University campus, major student housing schemes and other investment in the vicinity, will truly revitalise this area of the city centre.

"Our successful Vacant to Vibrant initiative has also seen 48 grants awarded since 2022 to help restore vacant city centre properties. So we are delivering a broad range of initiatives to make the city centre the very best it can be."

Cathedral Gardens is expected to reopen in spring 2027.